US847724A - Illusion device. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. 19, 19o?.

A.' P. BIONDI. ILLUsIoN DEVICE,

APPLICATION FILED JULY'ZB, 1905.

A. I". BIONDI.

ILLUsIoNv DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 22. 1905.

-PATBNTED MAR. 19, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 III-f- THE .vcmms pzrsks co.. wAsmNcmN, o. c.

PATENTE'D MAR. 19, 1907.

A. F. BIONDL- ILLUsIoN DEVICE. APPLIOATIDN FILED JULY 22 3 BEEETS-EIIEET 3.

'1HE NaRRIs Parsias co., wxsmnamng'g A UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

ANGELO F. BIONDI, .OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ILLUSIQN DEVICE.

Speccatonrof Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed Ju1y22, 1905. Serial No. 270,810.

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANGELO F. BIONDI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of NewYork city, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have inventedanew and useful Illusion Device, of

`which the following isla full, clearand eXact description. Y

This invention is an illusion apparatus which is intended to afford entertainment and amusement at summer resorts and other places.

The object in view iste provide an apparatus `.adapted and designed to give occupants of a car or vehicle the impression that `theyare traveling at a high `rate of speed through various laces.

One `part of t e invention is the means employed for changin landsca .e within the, eld of view of the car or vehic` e. This end is attained by theemployment of a succession of scenery-panels on each of a pluralityof. carriers, the latter being cou led detachablyto an endless driving mem er, all as will hereinafter be setl forth.

invention.

of Fig. .3.

broken away. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section showinga portion'of a shaft on which,

the guide-pulleys forthe scenery yare mounted, said view illustrating also the interlocking connection between the scenery-panel carriers and the driving-aprons. Fig. 5 is a perspective Ashowing a ortion of a .carrierapron and a panel, the Aatter being attached to said apron; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through a portionV of a driving-belt and a scenery-carrier.

1 designates an exhibition-chamber, which, as shown, is preferably of rectangular form, having side walls 2 and end walls 3. The chamber is divided longitudinally by. two parallel partitions or walls 4, which provide a vsmaller chamber betweenthem. In this chamber is mounted an observation-car 5, which is shown as being supported upon a plurality .of .rollers 6, the latter being dis- `dicated most clearly in Fig. 2. vwheels 8, which rest on the pairs vof rollers 6 the character of .thev

v5 and 6.)

posed, preferably, in pairs, and these rollers are'carried by horizontal shafts 7, which are supported in the partitions or walls 4, as in- The car has for the purpose of supporting the car in such away as to give motion tothe wheels thereof by therotary motion of the rollers 6.

Between the walls 4 and the side walls 2 `are provided the spaces or chambers 9, adapted to receive the scenery employed in the illusion apparatus. In these spaces or chambers `are mounted a plurality of horizontal Vshafts .10, andupon each shaft there is a plurality of rollers 1 1, which are quite shortand l ydisposed close together, as indicated by Fig.

1. One of the shafts 10, preferably the shaft 1()a at one end of the series, is provided with pulleys 11a of s ecial form,` as shown by Fig.

4. These pul eys have reduced necks 12 formed thereon, and over these necks extend suitable driving-belts 13. Adriving-shaft 14 is journaled in the-lower portion of the exhibition-chamber, said shaft 14 being parallel with the aforesaid shaft 10. At suitable points on the shaft 14 ulleys 15 are secured rigidly thereto, said pu e s 15 being of dierent diameters. The pul eys A.152', which are .disposed adjacent to the partitions or walls, A.are of the greatest diameter, and the pulleys diminish gradually in diameter toward the outermost pulleys 15b, which are the smallest.

VThese pulleys are in vertical alinement with the aforesaid .reduced necks 12 ofthe yulleys 11a, and said pulleys `15 are operative y connected with said necks bythe aforesaidbelts -13. A pulley ,16` is attached rigidly tothe driving-shaft ,14, near the middle thereof, said pulley ltaffording means for driving the shaft 14 from a motor of any kind.`

Over the rollers 1 1 are fitted the endless drivin ,-belts 17, and each driving-belt is provi ed with spurs 17a, as shown in Fig. 6,

which spurs .project yfrom outer faces ofthe driving-belts.

In addition to the belts 17 I employ aprons 17h, which lie upon the belts 17 and are propelled or driven thereby. To secure an interlockngl connection between each carrierapron and its driving-belt, the aprons 17T are provided with openings 17, which receive the spurs 17a of. the diving-belts. (See Figs. It is manifest that as the belts17 travel in one direction the spurs 17av will oper- ,ate to drive the aprons 17". -To each apron 17b is attached a series of scenery-panels 18,

IOO

ITO

The scenery for each apron is composed of a plurality of separate panels 1S, which are adliacent to each other or overlap at their edges. Each panel is preferably attached to its proper apron by means of an angle-clip or foot-plate 20, as indicated in Fig. 5.

It should be understood that the belts 17 are endless, the upper lengths of each belt passing horizontally along the upper faces of the pulleys 11, and the lower lengths, which travel in the other direction, pass along the under faces of said pulleys. The arran ement at the end shaft 10, at which the be ts are driven, will appear very clearly from an inspection of Fig. 4.

The scenery-carriers 17b are laid in position and will be fed to the endless spur-belts beneath them by attendants who are concealed in the flies at the respective ends of the exhibition chamber. The scenery carriers are placed on the driving-belts by an attendant at one end, and they pass off the drivingbelts at the other ends thereof, from where they lmay be removed by other attendants.

4By this arrangement the scenery may be changed and varied as may be desired.

Provision is made for driving the carwheels 8 so as to give the patron seated in the car or vehicle the impression that the car is in motion due to the vibration thereof, as when an ordinary car is running over a track. For this purpose a pair of main driving-belts 20 are provided, said belts passing around pulleys 21, the latter being rigidly secured by the shaft 14. (See Fig. 2.) The upper lengths 22 of these belts pass in an upwardly-inclined direction over the upper sides of the rollers 6 aforesaid. Between the separated pairs of rollers 6 I provide guide-rollers 23, which are slightly depressed, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to insure a sufficient pressure on the rollers 6 by the driving-belt. The same arrangement is employed at the respective ends of the car.

From the construction described it will be seen that the scenery is disposed in separate courses or sections 24, (see Fig. 2,) and these courses vary inY height toward the rear, or toward the point most remote from the observer in the car. l/Vith this arrangement all of the courses of the scenery will be constantly in view, one course being seen projecting above the courses in front thereof. When the apparatus is operated by the driving-belt 16, the belts 13 are driven at different speeds by the pulleys 15, and these belts in their turn drive the pulleys 11a so as to propel the belts 17 and the scenery-aprons at different speeds. It is preferred to so arrange and proportion these several parts that the scenery nearest to an observer within the car will move past the car-windows at a great speed, while the scenery disposed more remotely will move with a less speed. In this way I imitate the apparent movement of a landscape as it seems to an observersittingin a car moving across the country. There will in practice be as many of the courses of scenery as desired, and the gradations from the highest speed to the lowest may be regulated as required. The inner faces of the side walls 2 of the exhibition-chamber should be painted to represent the sky, so that no disillusion can occur from the stationary walls.

One of the important features of this invention is the means employed for changing the character of the landscape within the field of vision of the car. This end is secured by the employment of separate or individual panels representing scenes of different kinds and connected in series in the proper order or sequence to the scenery-carriers. The aprons which I employ as the scenery-carriers are supported and driven by the endless belts described, said belts passing around pulleys, the axes of rotation of which pulleys are horizontal. This arrangement makes the belts and the aprons occupy such positions that the faces thereof are in horizontal planes, and. such arrangement admits of the aprons and the scenery -panels 1S being loaded or placed upon theendles belts with case and despatch. The panels in my apparatus extend upwardly from the carrier-apron and the belts on which they are imposed or loaded, thus allowing the carrier-apron to be hid from view by a platform orvstage, while the scenerypanels are adapted to be moved into the field of vision of the occupants of the vehicle, said panels being carried into and out of view by the belts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is` 1. In an illusion device, an observationcar, a horizontally disposed driving shaft beneath said car, a plurality of pulleys carried by said shaft, said pulleys being of diameters decreasing toward the end of the shaft most remote from said car, horizontal shafts disposed above said Erst sh aft, rollers carried by said last shafts, a plurality of belts adapted to drive said rollers and passing over said pulleys, and scenery-panels carried by said belts and projecting substantially vertically.

2. In an illusion device, an observationcar, horizontal shafts disposed transversely at the side of said car, a plurality of endless belts passing over said shafts, means for continuously driving said belts, removable scenerybelts carrying panels representing scenery and adapted to lie upon said endless belts, and interlocking means between said scenery-belts and said endless belts for advancing said scenery-belts.

3. In an illusion device, an observationcar having wheels below the body thereof, rollers disposed in pairs and engaging the under sides of said wheels for supporting said ear, a driving-shaft, pulleys carried by said shaft, belts passing over said pulleys and IOO driving said rollers, a plurality of pulleys carried by said driving-shaft and diminishing in diameter toward the extremity of said shaft, a plurality of horizontal shafts disposed transversely at the side 0f said car, scenery-panels on said carrier, and means rollers mounted on said shafts, scenery-belts for securing an interlocking. connection beadapted to be advanced by said rollers, and a tween the scenery-carrier and the drivingplurality of belts passing over said pulleysI belt. yand driving said last rollers. l In testimony whereof I have signed my z 5 ro 4. In an illusion device, a plurality of endname to this specification in the presence of less belt), nearsfordguidmg the sam, ard two subscribing witnesses. scener e ts a apte to ie uponsai en less blts and carrying scenery-panels, said ANGELO F' BONDI' endless belts having spurs on the upper faces Witnesses: 15 thereof, and said scenery-belts having open- CHARLES J. LONG,

ings receiving said spurs whereby said soen- J. M.. DE LA TERGA.

ery-belts may be advanced by said endless belts.

5. In an apparatus of the class described,

an endless driving-belt, a scenery-carrier7 zo'

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